Caol Ila 25 Years Old 1996 Cask #16074 (Connoisseurs Choice)

Connoisseurs Choice – Cask Strength

700ml / 59.2%

Single Malt

$545

The Elgin house Gordon and MacPhail bottled this Caol Ila, a 25 year old, at 59.2%. A lighter Islay smoke, all lemon, brine and a peppery oil, with dried fruit, fig and walnut from the cask. It is the most independently bottled of all the Islay malts. It is Diageo’s largest Islay distillery by some way. This is a clean, maritime malt from the Sound of Islay.

Only 2 left in stock

Only 2 left

SKU CIL492 Categories Caol Ila, Islay, Scottish Whisky, Whiskey Brand: Caol Ila

Description

The Elgin house Gordon and MacPhail selected this Caol Ila, a 25 year old, distilled in 1996, from cask 16074, bottled at 59.2%, one of 555 bottles. Caol Ila is the lighter, more elegant face of Islay smoke. The original Victorian distillery was almost entirely rebuilt in the modern era.

The spirit was worked from peated malt for the lighter Islay style, for a clean, coastal, oily make. Maturation in an Oloroso cask laid dried fruit over the make. In the oxidative and evaporative years the angel's share concentrates the spirit, tropical esters of mango and pineapple emerging as the smoke fades to a soft ash. The cool Islay air gives a slow, steady maturation by the shore. It was founded by Hector Henderson and later passed to the Distillers Company. Cool, damp warehousing slows the loss of the angel's share over the years.

At 59.2% without water it is rich and full. Smoke, lemon and a peppery oil, with dried fruit, fig and walnut from the cask. The palate is oily and smoky, with a green citrus lift. A long, coastal finish carries a peaty warmth. This is a clean Islay smoke from the island's largest distillery.